BRITISH drivers' love affair with the convertible has seen Mazda's MX5 rag top emerge as the number one second-hand car of the new millennium according to research by an on-line retailer.
Carsite.co.uk. analysed the reliability, performance, running costs, depreciation, owner reviews, sales popularity and customer satisfaction of hundreds of models to chart the most sought-after used cars of the 'noughties'.
And the sporty, two-seater MX-5, which celebrates its 20th birthday this year, topped the company's list of second hand models ahead of Honda's CR-V in second place and the third-placed Skoda Octavia.
Ford's Fiesta was in fourth place, but Britain's long-time, top-selling new car, the Ford Focus, only just made it into the top ten, in eighth position.
Carsite.co.uk's Alistair Jeff, says: 'The Mazda MX5 deserves the top position thanks to strong reliability, value for money, residual performance and driveability. Its success in our poll only goes to further support the British love affair with the drop-top.'
Carsite also found that increased demand for used Mazda MX5 models saw the CAP trade value of a 1.8i model increase by more than £1100 between April and July this year.